10. Service Alberta Fee to Access the Motor Vehicle Registry

The City of Calgary, along with many municipalities across the province, was surprised by the Government of Alberta’s 2011-12 budget announcement to charge municipalities and police services a $15 fee to access the Alberta Motor Vehicle Registry, used to enforce parking and traffic violations. Prior to this budget announcement, access to the registry database for these purposes had been provided without a fee. It is estimated that this fee could cost The City of Calgary $9.5 million annually. The lack of consultation with municipalities prior to announcing this fee, along with the lack of understanding of how such announcements impact municipal operating budgets, has underscored the need for The City of Calgary and the Government of Alberta to find better ways to work together.

Since municipal police and enforcement agencies issue a number of traffic and enforcement tickets that are written under provincial legislation, The City of Calgary believes the Government of Alberta should increase penalty amounts for the offences set under the Traffic Safety Act and its corresponding regulations. The City of Calgary is of the view that municipalities should be exempt from paying the fees and that the costs associated with enforcing these violations should be paid by the offender, not the municipalities responsible for enforcement.

Question: Will you rescind the $15 fee to access the Alberta Motor Vehicle Registry, and if not, will you increase provincially-set fines to make up the shortfall?